Making Artisan Cheese by Tim Smith Read Free Book Online

the cheese is ready, usually within four to six hours. Take the cheese out of the cloth, package it in an airtight refrigerator container. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
    Yield: ½ pound (225 g)

INGREDIENTS
½ gallon (1.9 L) goat’s milk
teaspoon (about 1 ml) direct-set culture
One drop of rennet dissolved in 5 tablespoons (28 ml) of unchlorinated water
Calcium chloride as needed ( teaspoon diluted in 4 tablespoons [20 ml] of cool water (see page 72 for guidelines on using calcium chloride)
TECHNIQUES
For tools and illustrated steps, see Techniques for Making Fresh, Soft Cheeses, page 48 .

Chèvre complements both sweet and savory flavors. Try it as a spread, as shown here, or as a filling for crepês or pastry.

Artisan Advice
When making Chèvre, you will notice a layer of cream on top of the ripened milk, and that the whey has risen to the top. One of the unique characteristics of goat’s milk is that it is naturally partially homogenized. This is another reason to add calcium chloride to the milk before ripening it in order to increase its yield. Although it will take some time for the curds to set, the milk is ready when you see a thin layer of cream form on the surface.



Chèvre Chaud
The French have a fantastic recipe for goat cheese called Chèvre Chaud (literally translated as hot goat cheese), which calls for breading fresh chèvre and frying it. Typically this dish is served with a salad and light vinaigrette. It is so common in France I often wonder why we don’t see more of it here—it is delicious.

INGREDIENTS
11 ounces (310 g) fresh goat Chèvre
¾ cup (40 g) fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Mold the goat cheese into two or four ½" (about 1 cm) -thick patties. Dip each patty into the beaten egg, and then coat it in fresh bread crumbs.
Place the cheese patties on a nonstick sheet pan and broil until lightly browned. Turn and brown the other side. When the cheese patties are lightly browned on both sides and soft in the center, remove and place them over a bed of mixed greens topped with a light vinaigrette dressing.
Yield: Two entrées, or four appetizers

Quark
    Although Quark is virtually unknown in the United States, it is found in nearly every German household. Tangy like sour cream, with some additional body, it can be made with whole milk or low-fat milk, depending on your preference.

PROCEDURE
    Heat the milk to 88°F (31°C), and add the culture or starter, according to package directions.
    Cover the milk and let it ripen at room temperature for twenty-four hours, or until the milk has set (it should have the consistency of a firm yogurt).
    After the mixture sets, pour it into a cheese cloth–lined colander, tie it into a ball, and let it hang from a wooden spoon. Let the cheese drain in your refrigerator overnight, with a catch bowl placed underneath the colander. When the mixture has drained, remove it from the colander and the cheese cloth, place it in an airtight refrigerator container, and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
    Yield: 1 pound (450 g)

INGREDIENTS
1 gallon (3.8 L) milk
¼ teaspoon (about 1 g) direct-set buttermilk culture, or 2 tablespoons (28 ml) buttermilk
TECHNIQUES
For illustrated steps, see Techniques for Making Fresh, Soft Cheeses, page 48 .

Yogurt
    Yogurt has been a staple for thousands of years in Eastern Europe, North Africa, India, and Central Asia; the word yogurt is Turkish in origin. This fermented milk product remained in relative obscurity in Western Europe until the early twentieth century, when it was discovered that the cultures used to make it provide significant health benefits. Now yogurt is a ubiquitous product found in a multitude of forms.
    Making yogurt is a simple process, which allows you to produce fresh, tasty yogurt that costs half as much as what you pay in the store. Although yogurt itself is not a cheese, it can be made into cheese (see the recipe on page 60 ), and can also be used as a starter for making other